Marital Bliss
by EsmeAmelia
Summary: Story cowritten with Mylinda Antoinette. Han and Leia's first month living together after their marriage and the adjustments they have to make.
1. Chapter 1

Marital Bliss

Co-authored by Mylinda Antoinette and EsmeAmelia

Summary: A story of Han and Leia's first days as a married couple. Challenge fic. Coauthored by Mylinda Antoinette.

Author's Note (Mylinda Antoinette): Hello, I am Mylinda Antoinette, and I am coauthoring this story with EsmeAmelia. I am writing the first chapter, after which we will alternate chapters: Esme will write chapter 2, I will write chapter 3, and so on until we decide that the story is done. I must make a personal note at the beginning of this first chapter. My mother (No, not Esme's story…) actually contributed to the very short first flashback in this chapter, so I give credit for the scene to her. Without further ado… CHAPTER 1!

Chapter 1

Han and Leia slept peacefully late one rainy night. The twins had each been married, Jaina having been married three weeks prior, and for those three weeks, Han and Leia had enjoyed peaceful nights of sleep, uninterrupted by worry about their other children. They knew that they were in good hands with their new spouses.

At around one in the morning, they were awakened by their door chime. They rolled over to face each other, both thinking that whoever it was must have a death wish for awakening them at such an ungodly hour of the night. They remained in bed another minute or two, wishing that whoever it was would go away so that they could just go back to sleep and dream peacefully again.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the Force was not with them that night, as the door chimed again, and Leia glared at Han as if to say, "You're the man, you have to get up first." Han rolled his eyes and got out of bed, grunting in his sleepiness. Leia got up as well, and followed him to the door. When they opened it, they were shocked to find their daughter standing there in the middle of the pouring rain, her hand stretched out as if she were about to ring the door chime again. She looked down sheepishly as her parents gave her a death glare, warning her without words that she had better have a good excuse for waking them up so early.

"Uh, hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," she whispered, knowing that she hadn't caught them at the best time. "Um, look, I was wondering if I could sleep on the couch tonight." The death glares stayed fixated on her face. "You see, umm… Zekk and I… we kinda had… a fight," she added, seeming quite troubled. Her parents released her of the death grips, suddenly understanding why their daughter was standing outside their door at one am in the pouring rain.

"Ah, I see," Leia replied. "Well, I suppose you can come in, but just for one night. Tomorrow you and Zekk are going to make up with each other."

"Thanks, Mom," Jaina sighed, relieved that she actually had somewhere to stay. Her parents parted to let her in.

"Look, Jaina, why don't you go to the refresher and dry yourself off while we get the couch ready for you?" Han asked, quickly softening to his daughter's dilemma.

"Thanks, Dad." She gingerly slipped off her shoes and padded across the tile floor to the refresher. Once she had shut the door, Han and Leia looked at each other with amused smiles on their faces and rolled their eyes. They made their way to the linen closet, where the pulled out a set of sheets and began making up the couch. Halfway through, Leia went over to the refresher and slid a nightgown that Jaina had left under the door.

Five minutes later, Jaina emerged from the refresher in a clean, dry flannel nightgown. She went over to the couch and found that her parents had made it up with a set of clean sheets and the only quilt Leia had actually had time to make herself. "Thanks again, guys; this means so much to me," she thanked them gratefully.

"It's nothing, sweetheart. Now go to sleep," Han responded kindly. Jaina sat on the soft, springy cushions and was about to lie down when she stopped.

"Um, Mom, Dad, I wanna ask you something," she said.

"Yes, Jaina, what is it?" Leia inquired.

"Did the two of you have such a hard time when you were first married?"

Leia and Han looked at each other, wide grins on their faces.

-Flashback-

Han ducked as a vase flew past his head and hit the wall behind him.

"I HATE YOUR GUTS!" Leia screamed before throwing another vase in his direction. Han ducked again, just in time to miss getting a concussion from the heavy piece of porcelain.

"Oh yeah?" Han asked, popping his head back out just to scream a retort. "Well, at least I HAVE guts!"

Leia shrieked in anger before throwing a plate at him, which Han once again just barely avoided.

-End Flashback-

Han turned his grin toward his daughter. "Honey, you don't know the half of it. Maybe we'll tell you some of our stories in the morning. For now, try to get some sleep, okay?"

"All right, Dad. Thanks again." Jaina leaned back so that she was in a comfortable position. "Good night."

"Good night, sweetie," Leia replied, caressing her daughter's cheek. Then she and Han returned to their room, where they got back in their bed. But strangely enough, neither could sleep. They found themselves reminiscing instead.

"You know, it's so strange," Leia whispered to her husband.

"What is? The fact that we've stayed together all these years?"

Leia rolled her eyes and smacked her husband. "No, nerf-herder; I'm talking about the fact that we never expected things to be so hard between us until AFTER the reception. Even our honeymoon was pleasant compared to that first month," she laughed. Han got out of bed and walked to the closet. "What are you doing, dear?" she inquired.

"It's just been a while since the last time we took a stroll down memory lane," he replied, pulling down a holoalbum that had been collecting dust for a little while.

"Well, you know, Han, it's been a while since the last time we had the time to do so," she replied wryly.

"Well, you know, Leia, we have time now," he teased, getting back under the covers. "Look, all I'm asking is for a few minutes, just to look at some of the old holos that we've taken over the years. Besides, we did tell Jaina we'd tell her some stories in the morning."

"As I recall, YOU were the one who told her that, Han," she responded, but she already knew she'd given in. "But all right, I'll give you a few minutes, only because I love you so much."

Han grinned. "Thanks, honey." He opened the album to the first holo, which had been taken at their reception.

Author's Note: All right, I hope I left Esme somewhere to go with this. The rest of the story is pretty much going to be one big flashback. In closing, I'd like to quote a line by Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager that I think works perfectly for Han and Leia: "Given the volatile nature of their relationship, one would have predicted homicide rather than matrimony."

Reviews are appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note (EsmeAmelia): Yup, it's really me this time. ;) I'll be writing this chapter. Never done a collaboration fic before, so this is an interesting experience for me. Btw, this chapter doesn't follow COPL's (horrible) version of Han and Leia's marriage - hope Mylinda doesn't mind that.

Marital Bliss

Chapter 2

Han's heart was still beating as rapidly as it had when he had gotten up this morning, relishing in the fact that it was the last time he would wake up as a single man. No...now it was beating even _more _rapidly. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with a joy-induced heart attack.

His bride stood next to him, savoring the cheers as intensely as he was. Her white lacy veil half-concealed her hair, though bits of that perfect shade of brown still managed to peek out. Her smile was wider than he had ever seen before.

He discreetly wiped sweat from his face with the back of his hand. The gardens of Naboo were gorgeous, but the heat was rather intense. Or perhaps the smell of the flowers that decorated the table was so intense that it was making him dizzy. Or maybe it was just his nerves.

Leia's knife was delicately sliding into their wedding cake, bringing Han both excitement that he was finally going to get to taste it and slight disappointment that she was damaging the work of art the chefs had created. Five layers of pure white icing adorned with lavender ribbons and multicolored flowers made of what appeared to be the richest frosting available. Small figures that somewhat resembled the bride and groom stood perched on top of the cake, as if daring the guests to see how much they could eat before the figures would fall.

The bride pulled out a small piece of cake, settling it on a plate barely big enough to carry it. Balancing the plate on her palm, she slowly lifted it towards her new husband's face, her other hand delicately picking up the slice. Han slowly opened his mouth, closing his eyes, ready to taste the sweetness...

"Princess Leia, could I have a word with you?"

Han groaned softly, immediately recognizing the fast tempo and no-nonsense tone of a reporter's voice. He opened his eyes, seeing that Leia had indeed ceased her action to talk to the reporter.

"I'd prefer if we could finish this first," she said, keeping a happy air in her voice even when she was annoyed.

The golden blonde haired reporter acted as if Leia hadn't made any requests. "Your Highness, when would you say you first realized you loved General Solo?"

"Well...it was before today, obviously."

The immense crowd laughed - even Luke and Chewie were snickering from their seats in the front row of chairs. And Han would have thought they were on his side. His mouth was twitching, hungering for that cake that was now resting on the plate on Leia's palm.

"Have you experienced any disapproval from your fellow Rebellion leaders?" the reporter continued, her too-white teeth reflecting the sunlight. "After all, someone of your rank marrying a low-life smuggler..."

"Low-life??" Han exclaimed, pointing an angry finger at the reporter. "Look lady, I dunno where you've been lately, but I happen to be a GENERAL."

"Sweetheart, there are cameras here..." Leia muttered through her teeth.

"Then they oughta know the truth," Han retorted, glaring at the reporter's violet eyes which had probably been surgically made that color. "Why's it your damn business anyway?"

Chewie was burying his face in his paw and shaking his head.

"I could've been panhandling on the streets and it'd still be none of your business," Han continued.

"WELL, panhandling isn't too far below smuggling, is it?" the reporter said with a loud sniff.

"Han, it's fine," Leia said, holding the cake up closer to his face before turning her attention back to the reporter. "I'll have you know that the Alliance has been nothing but supportive of our relationship. And why shouldn't they be? Han is one of the Rebellion's most important fighters."

"Uh-huh...but he didn't START that way, did he?"

"No one STARTS as a fighter," Leia said loudly, her irritation beginning to show despite the millions of people watching. "They start as babies."

The crowd's immense laughter gave Leia the opportunity to finally slip the cake into Han's mouth. The groom bit down the instant the cake reached his tongue, slipping out of the reception for a moment and into the sweetness in his mouth. He chewed slowly, savoring the cake's taste and texture.

"General SO-lo," the reporter said in an overly obnoxious voice, unwelcomely bringing Han back into the real world, "how does it feel to always be living in the princess's shadow?"

"And who says I'm livin' in her shadow?" Han snapped. "Which part of 'General' don't ya understand??"

"The part where that word is associated with you," the reporter said haughtily, her eyes batting obnoxiously. "Oh, by the way, you've got some frosting on your lips." She pointed a pink polished fingernail at Han's mouth.

Han growled as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, but before he could respond, Leia stepped between him and the reporter, slowly waving her hand. "You don't need to ask us any more questions," she said in a low voice.

The reporter's face suddenly stretched, her eyes widening. "I don't need to ask you any more questions," she repeated.

Leia nodded, giving a sly grin. "You can go home now and leave us to our wedding."

"I can go home now and leave you to your wedding." The reporter turned sharply and strutted out of the garden, oblivious to the crowd laughing around her.

Chewie was chortling, slapping his knee with his large paw. Next to him, Luke was rolling his eyes, but at the same time seemed helpless to stop a grin from forming.

Leia turned to face her husband, kissing his cheek, licking what was left of the frosting off his skin.

"So what's the press gonna say about you performin' a mind trick on one of their reporters?" Han muttered to his new wife.

Leia smiled. "For once in my life, I don't care."


End file.
